Automated system for adapting reference data and generating evaluation metrics

ABSTRACT

A system includes a server that implements a metric server adapter and a metrics application. The server receives or retrieves a first data set that identifies an item or items having a set of attributes and causes the server to implement an evaluation service. The metrics application obtains time-dependent metric data that includes reference data for one or more items responsive to an item identified in the first data set. The metrics application dynamically discovers differences in the attribute data which enables the metric server adapter to define context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item. An adjustment value applied to the reference data transforms the reference data and produces context-specific reference data for the respective item. An evaluation metric is generated according to one or more predefined algorithms. At least a subset of the context-specific reference data is automatically input into the algorithms to generate the evaluation metric.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to evaluating items with respect to reference data to enable context-specific item comparisons.

2. Description of the Related Art

Commodity items such as lumber, agricultural products, metals, and livestock/meat are usually traded in the open market between a number of buyers and sellers. The sales transactions of most commodity items involve a number of parameters.

For instance, in the trade of commodity lumber, a buyer usually orders materials by specifying parameters such as lumber species, grade, size (i.e., 2×4, 2×10, etc.), and length, as well as the “tally” or mix of units of various lengths within the shipment, method of transportation (i.e., rail or truck), shipping terms (i.e., FOB or delivered), and desired date of receipt, with each parameter influencing the value of the commodity purchase. Given the multiple possible combinations of factors, a commodity buyer often finds it difficult to objectively compare similar but unequal offerings among competing vendors.

For example, in a case where a lumber buyer desires to order a railcar load of spruce (SPF) 2×4's of #2 & Better grade, the buyer would query vendors offering matching species and grade carloads seeking the best match for the buyer's need or tally preference at the lowest market price. Lumber carloads are quoted at a price per thousand board feet for all material on the railcar. When the quoted parameters are not identical, it is very difficult for buyers to determine the comparative value of unequal offerings.

Typically, a lumber buyer will find multiple vendors each having different offerings available. For example, a railcar of SPF 2×4's may be quoted at a rate of $300/MBF (thousand board feet) by multiple vendors. Even though the MBF price is equal, one vendor's carload may represent significantly greater marketplace value because it contains the more desirable lengths of 2×4's, such as market-preferred 16-foot 2×4's. When the offering price varies in addition to the mix of lengths, it becomes increasingly difficult to compare quotes from various vendors. Further, because construction projects often require long lead times, the lumber product may need to be priced now, but not delivered until a time in the future. Alternately, another species of lumber (i.e., southern pine) may represent an acceptable substitute.

Therefore, from the foregoing, there is a need for a method and system that allows users to evaluate and effectively compare items having different attributes to optimize decision making with regard to such items.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed, at least in part, to adapting reference data for identified items and producing (or predicting) context-specific reference data that enables more effective item comparisons. As described herein, coordinated operation of a metrics application (production component) and a metric server adapter (governing logic component) enable a server to use attributes of an identified item and a reference item to dynamically define context-specific instructions for adapting the reference data, to adapt and transform reference data that differs by at least one parameter value, and automatically produce context-specific reference data for an identified item, without relying on a predefined map or model having fixed relations.

More particularly, in various embodiments, described herein is a system that operates in a networked environment. It at least one aspect, the system comprises at least one server that includes a network interface, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, and a processor in communication with the network interface and the computer-readable medium. The processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the computer-readable medium. When executed, the computer-executable instructions implement components including at least a metric server adapter and a metrics application.

In operation, the at least one server is configured to receive or retrieve one or more first data sets, wherein each first data set identifies at least one item that is defined by a set of attributes having attribute data including two or more parameter values or identifies a plurality of items having attributes that differ by at least one parameter value. Receipt or retrieval of at least one first data set causes the server to implement an evaluation service that causes the metrics application, for each first data set, to obtain time-dependent metric data from a data source accessible to the server. The metric data comprises one or more second data sets that include reference data for one or more items that are responsive to a respective item that was identified in the first data set. The one or more responsive items have attributes that are responsive to attributes of the respective item identified in the first data set. Each responsive item in the metric data for the respective item possesses a plurality of attributes that include at least one parameter value;

The metrics application evaluates the plurality of attributes of each responsive item in the metric data relative to the set of attributes identified for the respective item in the first data set to dynamically discover relationships within the attribute data. Discovery of one or more relationships comprising a difference enables the metric server adapter to define one or more context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item.

The metrics application normalizes the metric data by executing the context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item. Execution of at least one context-specific instruction causes one or more adjustment values to be applied to the reference data for one or more responsive items that differ by at least one parameter value from the respective item, thus transforming the reference data for the one or more responsive items and automatically producing context-specific reference data for the respective item.

For each received or retrieved first data set, the metrics application is further programmed to use the context-specific reference data produced for the respective item or items identified in each of the first data sets to generate at least one evaluation metric for the first data set. Each evaluation metric is generated according to one or more predefined algorithms that are pre-associated with the evaluation service. At least a subset of the context-specific reference data produced for the respective item or items identified in the first data set are automatically input into one or more of the algorithms to generate the evaluation metric.

In another aspect, disclosed herein is a method that includes receiving or retrieving, by at least one server, at least one first data set. The server operates under control of computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement components including at least a governing logic component and a production component. Each first data set identifies at least one item defined by a set of attributes having attribute data that includes two or more parameter values or identifies a plurality of items having attributes that differ by at least one parameter value.

For each received or retrieved first data set, the method implements at least one evaluation service that, in operation, includes obtaining, by the production component, time-dependent metric data from at least one data source accessible to the server. The obtained metric data comprises one or more second data sets that include reference data for one or more items that are responsive to a respective item identified in the first data set. The one or more responsive items have attributes that are responsive to attributes of the respective item identified in the first data set. Each responsive item in the metric data possesses a plurality of attributes including at least one parameter value.

The method further includes evaluating, by the production component, the plurality of attributes of each responsive item in the metric data relative to the set of attributes identified for the respective item in the first data set to dynamically discover relationships within the attribute data. Discovery of one or more relationships comprising a difference enables the governing logic component to define one or more context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item.

The metric data is normalized by the production component which executes the context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item. Execution of at least one context-specific instruction causes one or more adjustment values to be generated and applied to the reference data for one or more responsive items that differ by at least one parameter value from the respective item, thus transforming the reference data for the one or more responsive items and automatically producing context-specific reference data for the respective item.

For each received or retrieved first data set, the method also includes generating, by the production component, at least one evaluation metric for the first data set. Each evaluation metric is generated according to one or more predefined algorithms that are pre-associated with the evaluation service. At least a subset of the context-specific reference data produced for the respective item or items identified in the first data set are automatically input into one or more of the algorithms to generate the evaluation metric.

In yet another aspect, disclosed herein is a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for use in a networked environment including at least one server. The server operates under control of computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement components including a governing logic component and a production component. When executed, the computer-executable instructions cause the server to perform operations that include receiving or retrieving at least one first data set. Each received or retrieved first data set identifies at least one item defined by a set of attributes having attribute data that includes two or more parameter values or identifies a plurality of items having attributes that differ by at least one parameter value.

The computer-executable instructions further cause the server to implement at least one evaluation service. For each received or retrieved first data set, the computer-executable instructions cause the server to obtain, by the production component, time-dependent metric data from at least one data source accessible to the server. The metric data comprises one or more second data sets that include reference data for one or more items that are responsive to a respective item identified in the first data set. The one or more responsive items have attributes that are responsive to attributes of the respective item identified in the first data set. Each responsive item in the metric data possesses a plurality of attributes including at least one parameter value.

The production component evaluates the plurality of attributes of each responsive item in the metric data relative to the set of attributes identified for the respective item in the first data set to dynamically discover relationships within the attribute data. Discovery of one or more relationships comprising a difference enables the governing logic component to define one or more context-specific instructions for adapting the metric for the respective item.

The metric data is normalized, wherein the production component executes the context-specific instructions for adapting the metric for the respective item. Execution of at least one context-specific instruction causes one or more adjustment values to be applied to the reference data for one or more responsive items that differ by at least one parameter value from the respective item, thus transforming the reference data for the at least one responsive item and automatically producing context-specific reference data for the respective item.

The production component generates at least one evaluation metric for each received or retrieved first data set. Each evaluation metric is generated according to one or more predefined algorithms that are pre-associated with the at least one evaluation service. At least a subset of the context-specific reference data produced for the respective item or items identified in the first data set are automatically input into one or more of the algorithms to generate the at least one evaluation metric.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of the present disclosure will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a prior art representative portion of the

Internet;

FIG. 2 is a pictorial diagram of a system of devices connected to the Internet, which depict the travel route of data;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the several components of the buyer's computer shown in FIG. 2 that is used to request information on a particular route;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the several components of an information server shown in FIG. 2 that is used to supply information on a particular route;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating the logic of a routine used by the information server to receive and process the buyer's actions;

FIGS. 6A-6B are flow diagrams illustrating another embodiment of the logic used by the information server to receive and process the quotes and quote requests of both buyers and vendors;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating another embodiment of the logic used by the information server to execute the process of a catalog purchase;

FIGS. 8A-8D are images of windows produced by a Web browser application installed on a client computer accessing a server illustrating one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of the normalization process described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The term “Internet” refers to the collection of networks and routers that use the Internet Protocol (IP) to communicate with one another. A representative section of the Internet 100 as known in the prior art is shown in FIG. 1 in which a plurality of local area networks (LANs) 120 and a wide area network (WAN) 110 are interconnected by routers 125. The routers 125 are generally special-purpose computers used to interface one LAN or WAN to another. Communication links within the LANs may be twisted wire pair, or coaxial cable, while communication links between networks may utilize 56 Kbps analog telephone lines, or 1 Mbps digital T-1 lines, and/or 45 Mbps T-3 lines. Further, computers and other related electronic devices can be remotely connected to either the LANs 120 or the WAN 110 via a modem and temporary telephone link. Such computers and electronic devices 130 are shown in FIG. 1 as connected to one of the LANs 120 via dotted lines. It will be appreciated that the Internet comprises a vast number of such interconnected networks, computers, and routers and that only a small representative section of the Internet 100 is shown in FIG. 1.

The World Wide Web (WWW), on the other hand, is a vast collection of interconnected, electronically stored information located on servers connected throughout the Internet 100. Many companies are now providing services and access to their content over the Internet 100 using the WWW. In accordance with the present disclosure, and as shown in FIG. 2, there may be a plurality of buyers operating a plurality of client computing devices 235. FIG. 2 generally shows a system 200 of computers and devices to which an information server 230 is connected and to which the buyers' computers 235 are also connected. Also connected to the Internet 100 is a plurality of computing devices 250 associated with a plurality of sellers. The system 200 also includes a communications program, referred to as CEA, which is used on the sellers' computing devices 250 to create a communication means between the sellers' backend office software and the server applications.

The buyers of a market commodity may, through their computers 235, request information about a plurality of items or order over the Internet 100 via a Web browser installed on the buyers' computers. Responsive to such requests, the information server 230, also referred to as a server 230, may combine the first buyer's information with information from other buyers on other computing devices 235. The server 230 then transmits the combined buyer data to the respective computing devices 250 associated with the plurality of sellers. Details of this process are described in more detail below in association with FIGS. 5-7.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in other embodiments of the present disclosure, the capabilities of the server 230 and/or the client computing devices 235 and 250 may all be embodied in the other configurations. Consequently, it would be appreciated that in these embodiments, the server 230 could be located on any computing device associated with the buyers' or sellers' computing devices. Additionally, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that while only four buyer computing devices 235, four seller computing devices 250, and one server 230 are depicted in FIG. 2, numerous configurations involving a vast number of buyer and seller computing devices and a plurality of servers 230, equipped with the hardware and software components described below, may be connected to the Internet 100.

FIG. 3 depicts several of the key components of the buyer's client computing device 235. As known in the art, client computing devices 235 are also referred to as “clients” or “devices,” and client computing devices 235 also include other devices such as palm computing devices, cellular telephones, or other like forms of electronics. A client computing device can also be the same computing device as the server 230. An “agent” can be a person, server, or a client computing device 235 having software configured to assist the buyer in making purchasing decisions based on one or more buyer-determined parameters. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the buyer's computer 235 in actual practice will include many more components than those shown in FIG. 3. However, it is not necessary that all of these generally conventional components be shown in order to disclose an illustrative embodiment for practicing the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the buyer's computer includes a network interface 315 for connecting to the Internet 100. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the network interface 315 includes the necessary circuitry for such a connection and is also constructed for use with TCP/IP protocol.

The buyer's computer 235 also includes a processing unit 305, a display 310, and a memory 300, all interconnected along with the network interface 315 via a bus 360. The memory 300 generally comprises a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), and a permanent mass storage device, such as a disk drive. The memory 300 stores the program code necessary for requesting and/or depicting a desired route over the Internet 100 in accordance with the present disclosure. More specifically, the memory 300 stores a Web browser 330, such as Netscape's NAVIGATOR® or Microsoft's INTERNET EXPLORER® browsers, used in accordance with the present disclosure for depicting a desired route over the Internet 100. In addition, memory 300 also stores an operating system 320 and a communications application 325. It will be appreciated that these software components may be stored on a computer-readable medium and loaded into memory 300 of the buyers' computer 235 using a drive mechanism associated with the computer-readable medium, such as a floppy, tape, or CD-ROM drive.

As will be described in more detail below, the user interface which allows products to be ordered by the buyers are supplied by a remote server, i.e., the information server 230 located elsewhere on the Internet, as illustrated in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 depicts several of the key components of the information server 230. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the information server 230 includes many more components than shown in FIG. 4. However, it is not necessary that all of these generally conventional components be shown in order to disclose an illustrative embodiment for practicing the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the information server 230 is connected to the Internet 100 via a network interface 410. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the network interface 410 includes the necessary circuitry for connecting the information server 230 to the Internet 100, and is constructed for use with TCP/IP protocol.

The information server 230 also includes a processing unit 415, a display 440, and a mass memory 450, all interconnected along with the network interface 410 via a bus 460. The mass memory 450 generally comprises a random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and a permanent mass storage device, such as a hard disk drive, tape drive, optical drive, floppy disk drive, or combination thereof. The mass memory 450 stores the program code and data necessary for incident and route analysis as well as supplying the results of that analysis to consumers in accordance with the present disclosure. More specifically, the mass memory 450 stores a metrics application 425 formed in accordance with the present disclosure for managing the purchase forums of commodities products, and a metric server adapter 435 for managing metric data and the logic for adapting the metric data. In addition, the mass memory 450 stores a database 445 of buyer information continuously logged by the information server 230 for statistical market analysis. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the database 445 of product and buyer information may also be stored on other servers or storage devices connected to either the information server 230 or the Internet 100. Finally, the mass memory 450 stores Web server software 430 for handling requests for stored information received via the Internet 100 and the WWW, and an operating system 420. It will be appreciated that the aforementioned software components may be stored on a computer-readable medium and loaded into the mass memory 450 of the information server 230 using a drive mechanism associated with the computer-readable medium, such as floppy, tape, or CD-ROM drive. In addition, the data stored in the mass memory 450 and other memory can be “exposed” to other computers or persons for purposes of communicating data. Thus, “exposing” data from a computing device could mean transmitting data to another device or person, transferring XML data packets, transferring data within the same computer, or other like forms of data communications.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating the logic implemented for the creation of a Request for Quote (RFQ) by a singular buyer or a pool of buyers. In process of FIG. 5, also referred to as the pooling process 500, a buyer or a pool of buyers generate an RFQ which is displayed or transmitted to a plurality of sellers. Responsive to receiving the RFQ, the sellers then send quotes to the buyers.

In summary, the creation of the RFQ consists of at least one buyer initially entering general user identification information to initiate the process. The buyer would then define a Line Item on a Web page displaying an RFQ form. The Line Item is defined per industry specification and units of product are grouped as a “tally” per industry practice. The pooling process 500 allows buyers to combine RFQ Line Items with other buyers with like needs. In one embodiment, the pool buy feature is created by a graphical user interface where the RFQ Line Items from a plurality of buyers are displayed on a Web page to one of the pool buyers, referred to as the pool administrator. The server 230 also provides a Web-based feature allowing the pool administrator to selectively add each RFQ Line Item to one combined RFQ. The combined RFQ is then sent to at least one vendor or seller. This feature provides a forum for pooling the orders of many buyers, which allows individual entities or divisions of larger companies to advantageously bid for larger orders, thus providing them with more bidding power and the possibility of gaining a lower price.

The pooling process 500 begins in step 501 where a buyer initiates the process by providing buyer purchase data. In step 501, the buyer accesses a Web page transmitted from the server 230 configured to receive the buyer purchase data, also referred to as the product specification data set or the Line Item data. One exemplary Web page for the logic of step 501 is depicted in FIG. 8A. As shown in FIG. 8A, the buyer enters the Line Item data specifications in the fields of the Web page. The Line Item data consists of lumber species and grade 803, number of pieces per unit 804, quantities of the various units comprising the preferred assortment in the tally 805A-E, delivery method 806, delivery date 807, delivery location 808, and the overall quantity 809. In one embodiment, the buyer must define the delivery date as either contemporaneous “on-or-before” delivery date or specify a delivery date in the future for a “Forward Price” RFQ. In addition, the buyer selects a metric or multiple metrics in a field 810 per RFQ Line Item (tally). As described in more detail below, the metric provides pricing data that is used as a reference point for the buyer to compare the various quotes returned from the sellers. The buyer RFQ Line Item data is then stored in the memory of the server 230.

Returning to FIG. 5, at a next step 503, the server 230 determines if the buyer is going to participate in a pool buy. In the process of decision block 503, the server 230 provides an option in a Web page that allows the buyer to post their Line Item data to a vendor or post their Line Item data to a buyer pool. The window illustrated in FIG. 8A is one exemplary Web page illustrating these options for a buyer. As shown in FIG. 8A, the links “Post Buyer Pool” 812 and “Post to Vendors” 814 are provided on the RFQ Web page. At step 503, if the buyer does not elect to participate in a pool buy, the process continues to step 513 where the server 230 generates a request for a quote (RFQ) from the buyer's Line Item data. A detailed description of how the server 230 generates a request for a quote (RFQ) is summarized below and referred to as the purchase order process 600A depicted in FIG. 6A.

Alternatively, at decision block 503, if the buyer elects to participate in a pool buy, the process continues to step 505 where the system notifies other buyers logged into the server 230 that an RFQ is available in a pool, allowing other buyers to add additional Line Items (tallies) to the RFQ. In this part of the process, the Line Items from each buyer are received by and stored in the server memory. The Line Items provided by each buyer in the pool are received by the server 230 using the same process as described above with reference to block 501 and the Web page of FIG. 8A. All of the Line Items stored on the server 230 are then displayed to a pool administrator via a Web page or an e-mail message. In one embodiment, the pool administrator is one of the buyers in a pool where the pool administrator has the capability to select all of the Line Item data to generate a combined RFQ. The server 230 provides the pool administrator with this capability by the use of any Web-based communicative device, such as e-mail or HTML forms. As part of the process, as shown in steps 507 and 509, the pool may be left open for a predetermined period of time to allow additional buyers to add purchase data to the current RFQ.

At decision block 509, the server 230 determines if the pool administrator has closed the pool. The logic of this step 509 is executed when the server 230 receives the combined RFQ data from the pool administrator. The pool administrator can send the combined RFQ data to the server 230 via an HTML form or by other electronic messaging means such as e-mail or URL strings. Once the server 230 has determined that the pool is closed, the process continues to block 510 where the Line Items from each buyer (the combined RFQ) are sent to all of the buyers in the pool. The process then continues to step 513 where the server 230 sends the combined RFQ to the vendors or sellers.

Referring now to FIG. 6A, one embodiment of the purchase-negotiation process 600 is disclosed. The purchase-negotiation process 600 is also referred to as a solicited offer process or the market purchase process. In summary, the purchase-negotiation process 600 allows at least one buyer to submit an RFQ and then view quotes from a plurality of vendors and purchase items from selected vendor(s). The logic of FIG. 6A provides buyers with a forum that automatically manages, collects, and normalizes the price of desired commodity items. The purchase-negotiation process 600 calculates a normalized price data set that is based on a predefined metric(s). The calculation of the normalized price data set in combination with the format of the Web pages described herein create an integrated forum where quotes for a plurality of inherently dissimilar products can be easily obtained and compared.

The purchase-negotiation process 600 begins at step 601 where the RFQ, as generated by one buyer or a pool of buyers in the process depicted in FIG. 5, is sent to a plurality of computing devices 250 associated with a plurality of sellers or vendors. The vendors receive the RFQ via a Web page transmitted by the server 230. In one embodiment, the vendors receive an e-mail message having a hypertext link to the RFQ Web page to provide notice to the vendor. Responsive to the information in the buyers' RFQ, the process then continues to step 603 where at least one vendor sends their quote information to the server 230.

In the process of step 603, the vendors respond to the RFQ by sending their price quote to the server 230 for display via a Web page to the buyer or buyer pool. Generally described, the vendors send an HTML form or an e-mail message with a price and description of the order. The description of the order in the quote message contains the same order information as the RFQ.

FIG. 8B illustrates one exemplary Web page of a vendor quote that is displayed to the buyer. As shown in FIG. 8B, the vendor quote includes the vendor's price 813, the lumber species and grade 803, number of pieces per unit 804, quantities of the various units comprising the preferred assortment in the tally 805A-E, delivery method 806, delivery date 807, and delivery location 808. In the quote response message, the vendor has the capability to modify any of the information that was submitted in the RFQ. For example, the vendor may edit the quantity values for the various units comprising the preferred assortment in the tally 805A-E. This allows the vendor to adjust the buyer's request according to the vendor's inventory, best means of transportation, etc. All of the vendor's quote information is referred to as price data set or the RFQ Line Item (tally) quote.

Returning to FIG. 6A, the process continues to step 605, where the server 230 normalizes the price of each RFQ Line Item (tally) quote from each vendor. The normalization of the vendor's price is a computation that evaluates the vendor's price utilizing data from a metric. The normalization process is carried out because each vendor may respond to the Line Items of an RFQ by quoting products that are different from a buyer's RFQ and/or have a different tally configuration. The normalization of the metric pricing allows the buyers to objectively compare the relative value of the different products offered by the plurality of vendors. For example, one vendor may produce a quote for an RFQ of one unit of 2×4×10, two units of 2×4×12, and three units of 2×4×16. At the same time, another vendor may submit a quote for three units of 2×4×10, one unit of 2×4×12, and two units of 2×4×16. Even though there is some difference between these two offerings, the price normalization process provides a means for the buyer to effectively compare and evaluate the different quotes even though there are variations in the products. The price normalization process 900 is described in more detail below in conjunction with the flow diagram of FIG. 9.

Returning again to FIG. 6A, at step 607 the vendor's quote information is communicated to the buyer's computer for display. As shown in FIG. 8B and described in detail above, the vendor's quote is displayed via a Web page that communicates the vendor's quote price 813 and other purchase information. In addition, the vendor's quote page contains a metric price 815 and a quote price versus metric price ratio 816. The metric price 815 and the quote price versus metric price ratio 816 are also referred to as a normalized price data value. A ratio higher than one (1) indicates a quote price that is above the metric price, and a lower ratio indicates a quote price that is below the metric price.

Next, at step 609, the buyer or the administrator of the buyer pool compares the various products and prices quoted by the vendors along with the normalized price for each Line Item on the RFQ. In this part of the process, the buyer may decide to purchase one of the products from a particular vendor and sends a notification to the selected vendor indicating the same. The buyer notifies the selected vendor by the use of an electronic means via the server 230, such as an HTML form, a chat window, e-mail, etc. For example, the quote Web page depicted in FIG. 8B shows two different quotes with two different tallies, the first quote price 813 of $360, and the second quote price 813A of $320.If the buyer determines that they prefer to purchase the materials listed in the first quote, the buyer selects the “Buy!” hyperlink 820 or 820A associated with the desired tally.

If the buyer is not satisfied with any of the listed vendor quotes, the server 230 allows the buyer to further negotiate with one or more of the vendors to obtain a new quote. This step is shown in decision block 611, where the buyer makes the determination to either accept a quoted price or proceed to step 613 where they negotiate with the vendor to obtain another quote or present a counter-offer. Here, the server 230 provides a graphical user interface configured to allow the buyer and one vendor to electronically communicate, using, e.g., a chat window, streaming voice communications, or other standard methods of communication. There are many forms of electronic communications known in the art that can be used to allow the buyer and vendors to communicate.

The buyer and seller negotiate various quotes and iterate through several steps 603-613 directed by the server 230, where each quote is normalized, compared, and further negotiated until a quote is accepted by the buyer or negotiations cease. While the buyer and seller negotiate the various quotes, the server 230 stores each quote until the two parties agree on a price. At any step during the negotiation process, the system always presents the buyer with an option to terminate the negotiation if dissatisfied with the quote(s).

At decision block 611, when a buyer agrees on a quoted price, the process then continues to step 615 where the buyer sends a notification message to the vendor indicating they have accepted a quote. As described above with reference to steps 603-613, the buyer notification message of step 615 may be in the form of a message on a chat window, e-mail, by an HTML form, or the like. However, the buyer notification must be transmitted in a format that allows the system to record the transaction. The buyer notification may include all of the information regarding the specifications by RFQ Line Item, such as, but not limited to, the buy price, date, and method of shipment, and payment terms.

The purchase-negotiation process 600 is then finalized when the system, as shown in step 617, sends a confirmation message to a tracking system. The confirmation message includes all of the information related to the agreed sales transaction.

Optionally, the process includes step 619, where the server 230 stores all of the information related to RFQ, offers, and the final sales transaction in a historical database. This would allow the server 230 to use all of the transaction information in an analysis process for providing an improved method of obtaining a lower market price in future transactions and in identifying optimum purchasing strategy. The analysis process is described in further detail below. Although the illustrated embodiment is configured to store the data related to the sales transactions, the system can also be configured to store all of the iterative quote information exchanged between the buyer and vendor.

Referring now to FIG. 6B, an embodiment of the unsolicited offer process 650 is disclosed. In summary, the unsolicited offer process 650, also referred to as the unsolicited market purchase process, allows at least one buyer to view unsolicited offers from a plurality of vendors and purchase items from a plurality of vendors from the offers. The logic of FIG. 6B provides buyers with a forum that automatically manages, collects, and normalizes price quotes based on metric data. By the price normalization method of FIG. 6B, the server 230 creates an integrated forum where offers for a plurality of inherently dissimilar products can be obtained and normalized for determination of a purchase.

The unsolicited offer process 650 begins at step 651 where the plurality of vendors is able to submit offers to the server 230. This part of the process is executed in a manner similar to step 603 of FIG. 6A, where the vendor submits a quote to the server 230. However, in the Web page of step 651, the server 230 generates a Web page containing several tallies from many different vendors. In addition, at step 651, the server 230 stores all of the unsolicited offer data provided by the vendors.

Next, at step 653, a buyer views the offers stored on the server 230. This part of the process is carried out in a manner similar to the process of step 603 or 607 where the server 230 displays a plurality of offers similar to the tallies depicted in FIG. 8A.

Next, at step 655, the buyer selects a metric for the calculation of the normalized price associated with the selected offer. As described in more detail below, metric data may come from publicly available information, i.e., price of futures contracts traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, subscription services such as Crowes™ or Random Lengths™ processed via the metric server adapter 435 (shown in FIG. 4), or internally generated metrics derived from the data stored in the server 230. The normalization calculation, otherwise referred to as the normalization process, occurs each time the buyer views a different offer, and the normalization calculation uses the most current metric data for each calculation. The normalization process is carried out because each vendor will most likely offer products that may vary from products of other vendors and have a different tally configuration from those supplied by other vendors. The normalization of the metric pricing allows the buyers to compare the relative value of the different products offered by the number of vendors. The metric price for each selected offer is displayed in a similar manner as the metric price 815 and 816 shown in the Web page of FIG. 8B.

Next, at decision block 657, the buyer selects at least one offer for purchase. This is similar to the process of FIG. 6A in that the buyer selects the “Buy!” hyperlink 820 associated with the desired tally to purchase an order. The process then continues to steps 659-663, where, at step 659, the process transmits a buy notice to the vendor, then, at step 661, sends a purchase confirmation to the tracking system, and then, at step 663, saves the transaction data in the server database. The steps 659-663 are carried out in the same manner as the steps 615-619 of FIG. 6A. In the above-described process, the buyer notification may include all of the information regarding the specifications by RFQ Line Item, and data such as, but not limited to, the buy price, date, and method of shipment, and the payment terms.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a flow diagram illustrating yet another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. FIG. 7 illustrates the catalog purchase process 700. This embodiment allows buyers to search for a catalog price of desired commerce items, enter their purchase data based on the pre-negotiated catalog prices, and to compare those catalog prices with a selected metric price and the current market price, wherein the current market price is determined by the purchase-negotiation process 600.

The process starts at step 701 where the buyer selects a program buy catalog 443. The program buy catalog 443 provides buyers with the published or pre-negotiated price of the desired products. Next, at step 703, based on the catalog information, the buyer then enters their purchase data. Similar to step 501 of FIG. 5 and the tally shown in FIG. 8A, the buyer sends purchase data to the server 230, such as the desired quantity of each item and the lumber species, grade, etc.

The process then proceeds to decision block 707 where the buyer makes a determination of whether to purchase the items using the catalog price or purchase the desired product in the open market. Here, the server 230 allows the user to make this determination by displaying the metric price of each catalog price. This format is similar to the metric price 815 and 816 displayed in FIG. 8B.

At decision block 707, if the buyer determines that the catalog price is better than a selected metric price, the process then proceeds to steps 709, 711, and 713, where a program buy from the catalog is executed, and the buyer's purchase information is stored on the server 230 and sent to the vendor's system to confirm the sale. These steps 711-713 are carried out in the same manner as the confirmation and save steps 617 and 619 as shown in FIG. 6A.

At decision block 707, if the buyer determines that the metric price is better than the catalog price, the process continues to step 717 where the buyer's purchase data is entered into an RFQ. At this step, the process carries out the first five steps 601-609 of the method of FIG. 6A to provide buyers with the price data from the open market, as well as provide the normalized prices for each open market quote. At step 719, the server 230 then displays a Web page that allows the user to select from a purchase option of a catalog or spot (market) purchase. At decision block 721, based on the displayed information, the buyer will then have an opportunity to make a determination of whether they will proceed with a catalog purchase or an open market purchase.

At decision block 721, if the buyer proceeds with the catalog purchase, the process continues to step 709 where the catalog purchase is executed. Steps 709-713 used to carry out the catalog purchase are the same as if the buyer had selected the catalog purchase in step 707. However, if at decision block 721 the buyer selects the option to proceed with the market purchase, the process continues to step 723 where the RFQ generated in step 717 is sent to the vendor. Here, the process carries out the steps of FIG. 6 to complete the open market purchase. More specifically, the process continues to step 609 where the buyer compares the normalized prices from each vendor. Once a vendor is selected, the negotiation process of steps 603-613 is carried out until the buyer decides to execute the purchase. Next, the transaction steps 615-619 are carried out to confirm the purchase, notify the tracking system, and save the transactional data on the historical database.

Optionally, the process can include a step where the server 230 stores all of the information related to program buy and metric comparisons and the final sales transaction in a historical database. This would allow the server 230 to use all of the transaction information in an analysis process for providing an improved method of obtaining the value of the program. Although the illustrated embodiment is configured to store the data related to the sales transactions, the system can also be configured to store all of the iterative quote information exchanged between the buyer and vendor.

The analysis process allows the server 230 to utilize the sales history records stored in steps 619 and 711 to generate price reports for communication to various third parties as well as provide a means of calculating current market prices for products sold in the above-described methods. The sales history records are also used as the source for a metric, such as those used in the process of FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 7. As shown in steps 619, 663, and 711, the server 230 continually updates the historical database for each sales transaction. The analysis reporting process allows a buyer or manager of buyers to conduct analysis on the historical information. This analysis would include multi-value cross compilation for purposes of determining purchasing strategies, buyer effectiveness, program performance, vendor performance, and measuring effectiveness of forward pricing as a risk management strategy.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a flow diagram illustrating the logic of the normalization process 900 is shown. The logic of the normalization process 900 resides on the server 230 and processes the quotes received from commodity sellers. The logic begins at step 905 where quote data is obtained from the seller in response to the buyer's RFQ as described above.

Next, at step 910, routine 900 iteratively calculates the board footage (BF) of each type of lumber. Once all the totals are calculated for each type, routine 900 continues to step 915 where the server 230 calculates the total type price.

At step 915, routine 900 iteratively calculates the total type price for the amount of each type of lumber specified in the quote. This is accomplished by taking the total board footage (BF) calculated in block 910 and multiplying the total BF by the price per MBF specified in the quote. Once all the prices are calculated for each type, routine 900 continues to step 920 where the server 230 calculates the total quoted price. At step 920, the routine 900 calculates the total price for the quote by summing all of the total type prices calculated at step 915.

At step 925, the routine 900 iteratively retrieves the most current price for each type of lumber specified in the quote from a predefined metric source(s). Metric data may come from publicly available information, i.e., price of futures contracts traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, subscription service publications such as Crowes™ or Random Lengths™ processed via the metric server adapter 435 (shown in FIG. 4), or internally generated metrics derived from the server database. Once all the prices are retrieved for each type, at step 930, the routine 900 then iteratively calculates the market price for the quantity of each type of lumber in the quote. Once the totals for all types are calculated, the routine 900 continues to step 935 where the routine 900 calculates the total market price for the quote by summing all the most current prices calculated in step 930. Although this example illustrates that steps 910-920 are executed before steps 925-935, these two groups of steps can be executed in any order, or in parallel, so long as they are both executed before a comparison step 940.

At step 940, routine 900 compares the total quoted to the metric price to arrive at a comparative value. In one exemplary embodiment of the current invention, the comparative value is a “percent of metric” value. A value higher than one hundred (100) percent indicates a price that is above the metric rate, and a lower percent indicates a price that is below the metric rate.

The operation of routine 900 can be further illustrated through an example utilizing specific exemplary data. In the example, a buyer sends out a request for a quote (RFQ) requesting a lot of 2×4 S&B lumber consisting of five units of 2″×4″×8′, two units of 2″×4″×14′, and five units of 2″×4″×16′. The buyer then receives quotes from three sellers. Seller A responds with a tally of six units of 2″×4″×8′, four units of 2″×4″×14′, and three units of 2″×4″×16′ for $287 per thousand board feet. Seller B responds with a lot of five units of 2″×4″×8′, one unit of 2″×4″×14′, and six units of 2″×4″×16′ for $283 per thousand board feet. Seller C responds with a lot of one unit of 2″×4″×8′, five units of 2″×4″×14′, and five units of 2″×4″×16′ for $282 per thousand board feet. Suppose also that the typical unit size is 294 pieces/unit, and the metric or reported market price for 2″×4″×8's is $287.50, for 2″×4″33 14's is $278.50, and for 2″×4″×16′ is $288.

Viewing the MBF prices for the respective quotes is not particularly informative, given that certain lengths of lumber are more desirable and priced accordingly in the marketplace. By processing the quote from Seller A using routine 900, we arrive at a total MBF of 29.792, giving a total quoted price of $8,550.30. The selected metric price for the same types and quantities of lumber would be $8,471.12; therefore, the quoted price would have a percent of market value of 100.93%. Processing the quote from Seller B using routine 900, we arrive at a total MBF of 29.400, giving a total quoted price of $8,320.20. The selected metric price for the same types and quantities of lumber, however, would be $8,437.21; therefore, the quoted price would have a percent of market value of 98.61%. Finally, processing the quote from Seller C using routine 900, we arrive at a total MBF of 30.968, giving a total quoted price of $8,732.98. The selected metric price for the same types and quantities of lumber, however, would be $8,767.66; therefore, the quoted price would have a percent of market value of 99.38%. By looking at the percent of selected metric value, it is apparent that the price from Seller B is a better value. As shown in the methods of FIGS. 5-7, this price normalization process allows users to compare inherently different offers having different quality and quantity values.

In yet another example of an application of the normalization process, additional exemplary data is used to demonstrate the analysis of a transaction having one RFQ from a buyer and two different quotes from a seller, normalized to comparable product of another species. In this example, the buyer produces an RFQ listing the following items: one carload of Eastern SPF (ESPF) lumber having four units of 2″×4″×8′, four units of 2″×4″×10′, six units of 2″×4″×12′, two units of 2″×4″×14′, and six units of 2″×4″×16′. The vendor then responds with two different quotes with two different unit tallies and two different prices. The first response lists a quote price of $320 per thousand board feet, and a slight modification of the tally provides four units of 2″×4″×8′, four units of 2″×4″×10′, six units of 2″×4″×12′, three units of 2″×4″×14′, and five units of 2″×4″×16′. The second response quotes per the requested tally at a price of $322 per thousand board feet. Both quotes list the delivery location as “Chicago.”

To display the quotes, the server 230 produces a Web page similar to that displayed in FIG. 8C, where the vendor's modified tally is displayed in highlighted text. The buyer can then view a summary metric comparison or select the hypertext link “View Calculation Detail,” which then invokes the server 230 to produce a Web page as shown in FIG. 8D. Referring now to the Web page illustrated in FIG. 8D, the data produced by the server 230 compares the response to a selected metric of a different species, Western SPF (WSPF), for items of the same size, grade, and tally. The market price for the same 2×4 tally of ESPF and WSPF are thus simultaneously compared. In an example, Eastern quoted at $322 per thousand board feet, Western metric (Random Lengths™ 6/26/2000 print price plus freight of $80/M as defined in Metric Manager) for the same tally being $331.791. This metric comparison is also represented as Quote/Metric Value or Eastern price representing .970490, or 97% of comparable Western product.

In review of the normalization process, the buyer must select a metric source for price information for a defined item given a set of attributes, i.e., grade, species, and size. The metric may then be mapped to the RFQ item for comparison and does not have to be the equivalent of the item. For instance, as explained in the above-described example, it may be desirable to map the market relationship of one commodity item to another. The most current pricing data for the metric is electronically moved from the selected source to the server 230. As mentioned above, metric data may come from publicly available information, (i.e., price of futures contracts traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange), or subscription services, (i.e., Crowes™ or Random Lengths™ publications), or be an internal metric generated by the server 230. This metric data is used in the normalization process for all calculations, as described with reference to the above-described methods.

While various embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that within the scope of the appended claims, various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in an agricultural commodity, an order for Wheat U.S. #2 HRW could be compared to a selected metric of Wheat U.S. #2 Soft White, similar to how different species are analyzed in the above-described example.

The above system and method can be used to purchase other commodity items, such as in the trade of livestock. In such a variation, order information such as a lumber tally would be substituted for a meat type, grade, and cut. Other examples of commodity items include agricultural products, metals, or any other items of commerce having several order parameters. 

1. In a networked environment, a system comprising: at least one server that includes: a network interface; a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, implement components including at least: a metric server adapter; and a metrics application; a processor in communication with the network interface and the computer-readable medium, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the computer-readable medium; wherein, in operation, the at least one server is configured to: receive from at least one computing device, or retrieve from at least one data source accessible to the at least one server, at least one first data set, wherein each first data set identifies at least one item defined by a set of attributes having attribute data that includes two or more parameter values or a plurality of items having attributes that differ by at least one parameter value, and wherein receipt or retrieval of at least one first data set causes the at least one server to implement at least one evaluation service which causes the metrics application, for each first data set, to: obtain time-dependent metric data from at least one data source accessible to the at least one server, wherein the obtained metric data comprises one or more second data sets that include reference data for one or more items that are responsive to a respective item identified in the first data set, said one or more responsive items having attributes that are responsive to attributes of the respective item identified in the first data set, wherein each responsive item in the metric data for the respective item possesses a plurality of attributes that include at least one parameter value; evaluate the plurality of attributes of each responsive item in the metric data relative to the set of attributes identified for the respective item in the first data set to dynamically discover relationships within the attribute data, wherein discovery of one or more relationships comprising a difference enables the metric server adapter to define one or more context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item; normalize the metric data by executing the context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item, wherein execution of at least one context-specific instruction causes one or more adjustment values to be applied to the reference data for one or more responsive items that differ by at least one parameter value from the respective item, transforming the reference data for the one or more responsive items, and automatically producing context-specific reference data for the respective item; and wherein, for each received or retrieved first data set, the metrics application is further programmed to use the context-specific reference data produced for the respective item or items identified in each of the first data sets to: generate at least one evaluation metric for the first data set, wherein each evaluation metric is generated according to one or more predefined algorithms that are pre-associated with the at least one evaluation service, and wherein at least a subset of the context-specific reference data produced for the respective item or items identified in the first data set are automatically input into one or more of the algorithms to generate the at least one evaluation metric.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein coordinated operation of the metrics application and the metric server adapter enables the at least one server to dynamically discover relationships within the attribute data, to define context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item and, to produce context-specific reference data for the respective item, without relying on a pre-constructed model having predefined relations that remain fixed within the model, or pre-mapping all possible relationships, or limiting discovery to relationships that were pre-mapped.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the metrics application algorithmically processes the attributes of the responsive item and the respective item to dynamically discover relationships within the attribute data, wherein a discovered relationship can include a new or previously unknown relationship.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one evaluation metric is generated according to one or more algorithms that incorporate variable parameters as input or inputs to formulate the at least one evaluation metric.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the metrics application includes one or more applications, application layers, or modules programmed to manage execution of the at least one evaluation service in coordination with the metric server adapter, and to manage one or more user interfaces that, in operation, facilitate interactions with the at least one server.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the metrics application is programmed to conditionally execute the context-specific instructions defined by the metric server adapter, and wherein at least one context-specific instruction is expressed as “IF condition THEN action”, or is priority weighted, recursive, or subject to another method of control defined by the metric server adapter.
 7. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more user interfaces, in operation, facilitate interactions that cause the metrics application to expose, in one or more layers of detail, data used to generate the at least one evaluation metric for at least one item identified in the at least one first data set.
 8. The system of claim 5, wherein the metrics application manages at least one analysis process that enables a particular user-agent to identify or select one or more alternative parameter values for at least one item identified in a first data set, wherein the metrics application automatically produces context-specific reference data for the at least one item, generates at least one evaluation metric using the one or more alternative parameter values, and compares the at least one evaluation metric generated for the at least one item for each of the alternative parameter values, to identify an optimal set of parameter values for the at least one item.
 9. The system of claim 5, wherein the metrics application, in coordination with the metrics server adapter, manages at least one analysis process that enables a particular user-agent to evaluate a plurality of evaluation metrics generated for the at least one item, over one or more periods of time, to identify which algorithm or set of algorithms best predicted an actual result or a highest objective function or process being measured by the at least one evaluation service, and to communicate a result of the evaluation, via the network interface, to the particular user-agent.
 10. The system of claim 5, wherein the metrics application is further programmed to manage at least one user interface that, in operation, facilitates data communication in XML format, enabling the metrics application to dynamically change, dynamically route, and/or pre-configure the data for movement of the data in an integrated data exchange.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the metric server adapter includes one or more applications, application layers, or modules programmed to manage a plurality of predefined instructions that pertain to the at least one evaluation service and/or data used to provide the at least one evaluation service.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the metric server adapter processes (1) the set of attributes defined for the at least one item identified in the first data set, (2) each of the one or more relationships comprising a difference in the attribute data for the responsive item in comparison to the respective item, and (3) the plurality of predefined instructions that pertain to the at least one evaluation service, to ascertain which, if any, of the predefined instructions are applicable to the responsive item in the immediate context of the respective item, which enables the metric server adapter to define context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item, wherein the context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item represent evolved instructions that embody more than a filtered subset of the predefined instructions.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the predefined instructions that pertain to the at least one evaluation service include one or more industry or domain specific instructions or one or more instructions predefined for at least one particular user-agent.
 14. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item specify validation rules and/or predefined statistical criteria to be satisfied, wherein the at least one evaluation metric for the at least one item identified in the first data set is generated after the adjustment values resulting from the context-specific instructions have been applied to the reference data for the responsive item and the specified validation rules and/or predefined statistical criteria have been satisfied.
 15. The system of claim 1, wherein implementation of the at least one evaluation service further causes the metrics application to compare a plurality of received or retrieved first data sets using the at least one evaluation metric generated for each first data set.
 16. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one evaluation metric represents a predicted result for the at least one item identified in the first data set, wherein implementation of the at least one evaluation service further causes the metrics application to compare one or more actual results for the at least one item to the at least one evaluation metric generated for the at least one item, with a result of the comparison being expressed as a ratio, index value, or a percent of difference.
 17. The system of claim 1, wherein implementation of at least one evaluation service further causes the metrics application to generate at least one evaluation metric for the at least one item identified the first data set under multiple evaluation scenarios, wherein at least one evaluation scenario references an alternate item, alternate parameter value, alternate time or period of time, alternate data source, or combination thereof, or wherein at least one evaluation scenario causes the metrics application to filter the obtained metric data using one or more control values, criteria, or parameters before normalizing the reference data for the respective item, wherein the one or more evaluation metrics generated for the at least one item under the multiple evaluation scenarios are compared, and a result of the comparison is exposed, via the network interface, to one or more computing devices in communication with the at least one server.
 18. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the algorithms that are pre-associated with the at least one evaluation service, when executed, further cause the metrics application to automatically retrieve previously processed data from at least one data source accessible to the at least one server, and wherein the pre-processed data is automatically input into one or more of the algorithms and is used, at least in part, to generate the at least one evaluation metric.
 19. The system of claim 1, wherein implementation of the at least one evaluation service further causes the metrics application to assess a relative performance of two or more different sets of algorithms used to generate an evaluation metric for the at least one item identified in a first data set, wherein the metrics application is programmed to automatically retrieve previously processed time-dependent metric data including at least one actual result for the at least one item, and to compare the at least one actual result to the evaluation metric for the at least one item in the first data set generated by each of the two or more different sets of algorithms, wherein the comparison enables the metric server adapter to identify which set of algorithms is likely to better predict an actual result for the at least one item, wherein upon identification of the at least one item or the set of attributes identified for the item, the metric server adapter automatically associates the identified set of algorithms with the at least one evaluation service.
 20. The system of claim 1, wherein the transformation of the reference data for the one or more responsive items that differ occurs independent of routine processing, formatting, or cleansing of data for use by the at least one server, including extracting, transforming, and loading the data into or out of a database.
 21. The system of claim 1, wherein the metrics application is programmed to convert data defined by a unit-of-measure into standardized or common units of measure and to use only data possessing consistent units of measure to produce the context-specific reference data for the respective item, wherein the transformation of the reference data for the at least one responsive item in the metric data occurs independent of the unit-of-measure conversion of the data.
 22. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one server comprises a multi-tenant system, and wherein the at least one evaluation service is provided to a plurality of user-agents.
 23. The system of claim 1, wherein the context-specific reference data produced for the respective item identified in a received or retrieved first data set does not include a price data value for the respective item and the at least one evaluation metric generated for the at least one first data set does not comprise a monetary measure.
 24. In a networked environment, a method comprising: receiving or retrieving, by at least one server, at least one first data set, wherein the at least one server is operating under control of computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement components including at least: a governing logic component; and a production component, wherein each first data set identifies at least one item defined by a set of attributes having attribute data that includes two or more parameter values or a plurality of items having attributes that differ by at least one parameter value; and wherein, for each received or retrieved first data set, the method further comprises implementing, by the at least one server, at least one evaluation service that, in operation, includes: obtaining, by the production component, time-dependent metric data from at least one data source accessible to the at least one server, wherein the obtained metric data comprises one or more second data sets that include reference data for one or more items that are responsive to a respective item identified in the first data set, said one or more responsive items having attributes that are responsive to attributes of the respective item identified in the first data set, wherein each responsive item in the metric data possesses a plurality of attributes including at least one parameter value; evaluating, by the production component, the plurality of attributes of each responsive item in the metric data relative to the set of attributes identified for the respective item in the first data set to dynamically discover relationships within the attribute data, wherein discovery of one or more relationships comprising a difference enables the governing logic component to define one or more context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item; and normalizing the metric data, wherein the production component executes the context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item, wherein execution of at least one context-specific instruction causes one or more adjustment values to be generated and applied to the reference data for one or more responsive items that differ by at least one parameter value from the respective item, transforming the reference data for the one or more responsive items, and automatically producing context-specific reference data for the respective item; and wherein, for each received or retrieved first data set, the method further includes: generating, by the production component, at least one evaluation metric for the first data set, wherein each evaluation metric is generated according to one or more predefined algorithms that are pre-associated with the at least one evaluation service, and wherein at least a subset of the context-specific reference data produced for the respective item or items identified in the first data set are automatically input into one or more of the algorithms to generate the at least one evaluation metric.
 25. The method of claim 24, wherein coordinated operation of the production component and the governing logic component enables the at least one server to dynamically discover relationships within the attribute data, to define context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item and, to produce context-specific reference data for the respective item, without relying on a pre-constructed model having predefined relations that remain fixed within the model, or pre-mapping all possible relationships, or limiting discovery to relationships that were pre-mapped.
 26. The method of claim 24, wherein the production component algorithmically processes the plurality of attributes of the responsive item and the respective item to dynamically discover relationships within the attribute data, wherein a discovered relationship can include a new or previously unknown relationship.
 27. The method of claim 24, wherein the governing logic component includes one or more applications, application layers, or modules that manage the at least one evaluation service in coordination with the production component, including a plurality of predefined instructions that pertain to the at least one evaluation service and/or data used to provide the at least one evaluation service.
 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising processing, by the governing logic component, (1) the set of attributes identified for the respective item in the first data set, (2) each of the one or more relationships comprising a difference in the attribute data for the responsive and respective items, and (3) the plurality of predefined instructions that pertain to the at least one evaluation service, to ascertain which, if any, of the predefined instructions are applicable to the responsive item in the immediate context of the respective item being evaluated, and to define context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item, wherein the context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item represent evolved instructions that embody more than a filtered subset of the predefined instructions.
 29. The method of claim 27, wherein the predefined instructions that pertain to the at least one evaluation service include one or more industry or domain specific instructions or one or more instructions predefined for at least one particular user-agent.
 30. The method of claim 24, wherein the production component includes one or more applications, application layers, or modules that manage execution of the at least one evaluation service in coordination with the governing logic component, and manage one or more user interfaces that, in operation, facilitate interactions with the at least one server.
 31. The method of claim 30, wherein the production component conditionally executes the context-specific instructions defined by the governing logic component, and wherein at least one context-specific instruction is expressed as “IF condition THEN action”, or is priority weighted, recursive, or subject to another method of control defined by the governing logic component.
 32. The method of claim 30, wherein the production component customizes at least one user interface for a particular industry or domain or a particular user-agent, wherein each customized user interface adds, removes, or modifies one or more data fields represented in the at least one user interface in response to one or more instructions predefined for the particular industry or domain or user-agent, or wherein the production component changes a presentation format or at least one menu option represented in a user interface in response to one or more instructions predefined for the particular industry or domain or user-agent, wherein at least one operational link for interacting with the at least one server is added, modified, removed, or inactivated.
 33. The method of claim 24, wherein the one or more identified parameter values include at least one of a grade, a rating measure, a species, an item type, a brand, a size, a flavor or color, a unit of measure, a quantity, a tally, a weight, a shipping or receiving location, a method of delivery, a delivery date, a time of service, a warranty, or a capacity or performance measure.
 34. The method of claim 24, wherein at least one evaluation metric represents an optimal set of attributes, or at least one optimal parameter value, for the at least one item identified in a first data set, wherein the optimal set of attributes or the at least one optimal parameter value maximizes or most improves the at least one result, function, or process being evaluated by the at least one evaluation service.
 35. The method of claim 24, wherein implementation of at least one evaluation service further causes the production component to generate at least one evaluation metric for at least one item identified a first data set under multiple evaluation scenarios, wherein at least one evaluation scenario references an alternate item, alternate parameter value, alternate time or period of time, alternate data source, or combination thereof, or wherein at least one evaluation scenario causes the production component to filter the obtained metric data using one or more control values, criteria, or parameters before normalizing the reference data for the respective item, wherein the one or more evaluation metrics generated for the at least one item under the multiple evaluation scenarios are compared, and a result of the comparison is exposed to one or more computing devices in communication with the at least one server.
 36. The method of claim 24, wherein one or more of the context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item specify validation rules and/or predefined statistical criteria to be satisfied, wherein the at least one evaluation metric for the at least one item identified in the first data set is generated after the adjustment values resulting from the context-specific instructions have been applied to the reference data for the responsive item and the specified validation rules and/or predefined statistical criteria have been satisfied.
 37. The method of claim 24, wherein one or more of the algorithms that are pre-associated with the at least one evaluation service, when executed, further cause the production component to automatically retrieve previously processed data from at least one data source accessible to the at least one server, and wherein the pre-processed data is automatically input into one or more of the algorithms and is used, at least in part, to generate the at least one evaluation metric.
 38. The method of claim 24, wherein the transformation of the reference data for the one or more responsive items that differ occurs independent of routine processing, formatting, or cleansing of data used by the at least one server, including extracting, transforming, and loading data into or out of a database.
 39. The method of claim 24, wherein a plurality of evaluation services are predefined and stored in at least one memory accessible to the at least one server, wherein, in response to the receipt or retrieval of a first data set, the at least one server automatically implements at least one evaluation service that is selected based on the set of attributes, including at least one parameter value, identified for the at least one item in the first data set.
 40. The method of claim 24, wherein the production component manages at least one analysis process wherein actual performance of at least one item, or a parameter value identified for the at least one item, in at least one first data set is compared to the context-specific reference data that is produced for the at least one item in the at least one first data set.
 41. The method of claim 24, wherein the context-specific reference data produced for the respective item identified in a received or retrieved first data set does not include a price data value for the respective item, and wherein the at least one evaluation metric generated for the at least one first data set does not comprise a monetary measure.
 42. The method of claim 24, wherein at a predefined time or interval of time or in response to a triggering event, the production component automatically obtains more current metric data for the respective item or items identified in at least one previously received or retrieved first data set, and wherein the production component automatically produces, in coordination with the governing logic component, more-current context-specific reference data for the respective item or items identified in the at least one first data set.
 43. The method of claim 24, wherein the at least one server comprises a multi-tenant system, and wherein the at least one evaluation service is provided to a plurality of user-agents.
 44. The method of claim 43, wherein the production component manages one or more user interfaces that, in operation, enables a computing device associated with a particular tenant to define for one or more user-agents associated with the particular tenant at least one instruction for managing the at least one evaluation service and/or data used to provide the at least one evaluation service, or to modify at least one previously-defined instruction for managing the at least one evaluation service and/or data used to provide the at least one evaluation service.
 45. The system of claim 44, wherein the production component further manages one or more user interfaces that, in operation, enable a computing device associated with a particular tenant to define one or more instructions for managing the at least one evaluation service, to associate the one or more instructions with one or more attributes, parameters, sources of metric data, evaluation metrics, industries or domains, user-agents, events, or one or more other instructions, and to store the one or more instructions in association with the particular tenant and the at least one evaluation service in a memory accessible to the at least one server, wherein receipt or retrieval of at least one first data set identified by a user-agent associated with the particular tenant causes the at least one evaluation service to be implemented, which causes the governing logic component to automatically retrieve the predefined instructions associated with the at least one evaluation service and the particular tenant.
 46. The system of claim 44, wherein at least a subset of the data received, retrieved, produced or generated for a user-agent associated with a particular tenant of the multi-tenant system is stored in a historical data storage accessible to the at least one server in association with the particular tenant.
 47. The system of claim 44, wherein at least a subset of the data received, retrieved, produced or generated for a plurality of user-agents associated with a plurality of tenants is tracked to at least one historical data storage accessible to the at least one server, wherein the tracked data is stored in association with a particular time or period of time.
 48. The system of 47, wherein the tracked historical data is accessible to the at least one server as a data source from which to obtain time-dependent metric data.
 49. The method of claim 30, wherein the production component converts data defined by a unit-of-measure into standardized or common units of measure and uses only data possessing consistent units of measure to produce the context-specific reference data for the respective item, wherein the transformation of the reference data for the at least one responsive item in the metric data occurs independent of the unit-of-measure conversion of the data.
 50. The method of claim 30, wherein the production component further manages at least one user interface that, in operation, facilitates data communication in XML format, enabling the production component to dynamically change, dynamically route, and/or pre-configure the data for movement of the data in an integrated data exchange.
 51. The method of claim 30, wherein the production component manages one or more user interfaces that, in operation, facilitate interactions that enable at least one user-agent computing device to cause the production component to expose, in one or more layers of detail, data used to produce one or more of the context-specific reference data values for at least one item identified in the first data set, wherein the exposed data includes one or more parameter-specific data values produced by the production component.
 52. The method of claim 51, wherein one or more of the exposed parameter-specific data values pertain to a tally, a size, a location, a specie, or a method of delivery specified for the at least one item in the first data set.
 53. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of normalizing the metric data is distinctly different from a process of normalizing a relational database by organizing the columns and tables of the relational database in order to improve data integrity and/or reduce data redundancy.
 54. In a networked environment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause at least one server to perform operations comprising: receiving at the at least one server, or retrieving by the at least one server, at least one first data set, wherein the at least one server is operating under control of computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement components including a governing logic component and a production component, and wherein each received or retrieved first data set identifies at least one item defined by a set of attributes having attribute data that includes two or more parameter values or a plurality of items having attributes that differ by at least one parameter value; and implementing at least one evaluation service wherein, for each received or retrieved first data set, the computer-executable instructions cause the at least one server to: obtain, by the production component, time-dependent metric data from at least one data source accessible to the at least one server, wherein the metric data comprises one or more second data sets that include reference data for one or more items that are responsive to a respective item identified in the first data set, said one or more responsive items having attributes that are responsive to attributes of the respective item identified in the first data set, wherein each responsive item in the metric data possesses a plurality of attributes including at least one parameter value; evaluate, by the production component, the plurality of attributes of each responsive item in the metric data relative to the set of attributes identified for the respective item in the first data set to dynamically discover relationships within the attribute data, wherein discovery of one or more relationships comprising a difference enables the governing logic component to define one or more context-specific instructions for adapting the metric for the respective item; normalize the metric data, wherein the production component executes the context-specific instructions for adapting the metric for the respective item, wherein execution of at least one context-specific instruction causes one or more adjustment values to be applied to the reference data for one or more responsive items that differ by at least one parameter value from the respective item, transforming the reference data for the at least one responsive item, and automatically producing context-specific reference data for the respective item; and generate, by the production component, at least one evaluation metric for each received or retrieved first data set, wherein each evaluation metric is generated according to one or more predefined algorithms that are pre-associated with the at least one evaluation service, and wherein at least a subset of the context-specific reference data produced for the respective item or items identified in the first data set are automatically input into one or more of the algorithms to generate the at least one evaluation metric.
 55. The computer-readable medium of claim 54, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the production component to algorithmically processes the attributes of the responsive item and the respective item to dynamically discover relationships within the attribute data, wherein a discovered relationship can include a new or previously unknown relationship, and wherein coordinated operation of the separate production component and governing logic component enable the at least one server to dynamically discover relationships within the attribute data, to define context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item, and to produce context-specific reference data for the respective item, without relying on a pre-constructed model having predefined relations that remain fixed within the model, or pre-mapping all possible relationships, or limiting discovery to relationships that were pre-mapped.
 56. The computer-readable medium of claim 54, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the governing logic component to manage a plurality of predefined instructions that pertain to the at least one evaluation service and/or data used to provide the at least one evaluation service.
 57. The computer-readable medium of claim 56, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the governing logic component to process (1) the set of attributes defined for the at least one item identified in the first data set, (2) each of the one or more relationships comprising a difference in the attribute data for the responsive item in comparison to the respective item, and (3) the plurality of predefined instructions that pertain to the at least one evaluation service, to ascertain which, if any, of the predefined instructions are applicable to the responsive item in the immediate context of the respective item, which enables the governing logic component to define context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item, wherein the context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item represent evolved instructions that embody more than a filtered subset of the predefined instructions.
 58. The computer-readable medium of claim 54, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the production component to manage at least one user interface that, in operation, facilitates data communication in XML format, enabling the production component to dynamically change, dynamically route, and/or pre-configure the data for movement of the data in an integrated data exchange. 